‘Great political leader, scholar’: PM Modi pays tribute to PV Narasimha Rao

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao remained on the forefront of raising his voice against injustice as he paid tribute to the Congress leader on his birth anniversary.

In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said Rao joined the freedom movement in his teens and began to raise his voice against injustice from an early age.

“He left no stone unturned to raise his voice,” the Prime Minister said.

“Narasimha Rao also understood history very well. His rise from a very simple background, his emphasis on education, his tendency to learn, and, with all this, his leadership ability - everything is memorable,” he said.

“I urge that, in the birth centenary year of Narasimha Rao, all of you, try to know as much as possible about his life and thoughts. I once again pay my tribute to him,” he added.

This is not the first time that PM Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have paid tribute to PV Narasimha Rao. The BJP has repeatedly raised the issue of Rao not being given due honour by the Congress party after his death.

“Remembering Shri PV Narasimha Rao Ji on his birth anniversary. A great scholar and veteran administrator, he led the nation at a crucial juncture o f o u r h i s t o r y . He wi l l b e remembered for taking pioneering steps that contributed to national progress,” PM Modi had tweeted last year when he was in Japan for the G-20 Summit.

On Sunday, tributes poured on social media for the former PM known for ushering in the policy of economic liberalisation in 1991.

The Congress party also paid tribute.

“We honour P. V. Narsimha Rao, a visionary leader who oversaw major economic transformations of the Indian economy. His contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten,” it posted on Twitter.